Rockets fall to Wizards despite Harden’s 54 points

James Harden’s big game wasn’t enough to lead the Houston Rockets to a win over the Washington Wizards on Monday.

Harden tallied 54 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds but Washington came away with a 135-131 overtime win. John Wall scored a team-high 36 points for the Wizards.

Washington took a two-point lead with 19 seconds to play when forward Otto Porter Jr. split a pair of free throws. Houston big man Clint Capela, however, finished an alley-oop off a pass from Harden to force the extra period.

However, the Wizards scored eight of the first nine points in overtime to grab control and held on for the win.

Bradley Beal chipped in 32 points in 50 minutes for Washington. Eric Gordon recorded 36 points for Houston in the losing effort.

Elsewhere, the Golden State Warriors erased a 17-point halftime deficit and pulled out a 116-110 win over the Orlando Magic at Oracle Arena. Kevin Durant poured in 49 points to pace Golden State while Klay Thompson added 29 points.

The Warriors have now won three in a row after they dropped four straight earlier this month.

Kyrie Irving had 26 points and 10 assists in the Boston Celtics’ 124-107 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

Osman oscillates in form

After playing a pivotal role in his side’s win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday, Cleveland Cavaliers forward Cedi Osman shot three-of-12 from the field and was a minus-13 in his team’s 102-95 loss to the Timberwolves.

Shaquille Harrison missed all four of his shot attempts and registered a minus-7 in the Chicago Bulls’ 108-107 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

Utah Jazz guard Ricky Rubio connected on just 25 per cent of his shots and finished with six points against the Indiana Pacers. Utah fell 121-88.

Two teams that could be battling for playoff position throughout the season will meet in Denver on Tuesday. The Los Angeles Lakers had their three-game winning streak snapped when they fell to the Orlando Magic on Sunday while the Denver Nuggets have won three in a row.